If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.

Do you mean know about Christ, or know Christ's work, or as a manifestation of the activity of Christ... or actually Christ Himself (in the same sense that I might say I know someone because I talk with them daily)?

Do you mean know about Christ, or know Christ's work, or as a manifestation of the activity of Christ... or actually Christ Himself (in the same sense that I might say I know someone because I talk with them daily)?

Christ Himself.

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If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.

Thank you for the clarification. This one I'm not sure on... thinking of the Old Testament figures who were noteworthy for closeness to God (e.g. David), I wonder how much they knew Christ... on the other hand, St. Justin Martyr said that even Socrates knew Christ in part. Huh. Not sure. But I voted yes, though I think how well you'd know him outside of hearing the Gospel message or something similar would be somewhat vague or hazy.

This takes me back to the discussion of General and Special Revelation from my youth.

I believe creation does reveal something of God. It does not reveal the totality which can only be found in the Church, but it may be enough to those who never find the Church.

For that reason I've never understood the people who replace church attendance with "nature walks" or whatever. Rejecting Christ himself in favor of the "dark glass" reflection found in nature is blasphemous IMO.

Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness, and make zealous men wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion. With the afflicted be afflicted in mind. Love all men, but keep distant from all men.—St. Isaac of Syria

Well I think that nature can point to a Creator but not necessarily Christ or the God of Christianity; that can only be discovered through the sacramental life of the Church. Nature only paints a deistic image of God at best.

Absolutely. It's in those silent moments on the land when faith leaps directly into your soul, and you know that God our creator made an incredible world for us. The sun setting and watching the goats forage on wild edibles, cedar trees, weeds, grasses, and other plants is amazing. Perfectly designed, perfectly grown, all of it.... Perfect. God is completely in nature, I have no doubt.

Take delight in all things that sur­round us. All things teach us and lead us to God. All things around us are droplets of the love of God — both things ani­mate and inan­i­mate, the plants and the ani­mals, the birds and the moun­tains, the sea and the sun­set and the starry sky. They are lit­tle loves through which we attain to the great Love that is Christ. Flow­ers, for exam­ple, have their own grace; they teach us with their fra­grance and with their mag­nif­i­cence. They speak to us of the love of God. They scat­ter their fra­grance and their beauty on sin­ners and on the righteous.

Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness, and make zealous men wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion. With the afflicted be afflicted in mind. Love all men, but keep distant from all men.—St. Isaac of Syria

Whoever 'shopped the title of that icon got it wrong. It should read "Creation of the Birds and Fishes". Ain't no animals in that icon.

Otherwise, it's quite kosher as an icon.

Uh...the animals are in the water: a baleen whale and a dolphin.

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If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.